AN: I forgot to mention this earlier, but thank you Oldromanticem for betaing for me. You've been a joy to work with!
Disclaimer: Don't own Once Upon A Time or any of the characters.
French Fries and Contracts
"Rebecca, will you collect the returns, pleas,e dear," the graying woman said, bustling around the front of the mahogany desk, stacking papers here and there. She straightened a picture of a young family with an unimaginable amount of dogs surrounding them, before coming towards the back where Belle was working.
"All of these- right Ms. Anna," Belle asked, her head in the small cupboard that housed returned books. She brought her load up to the top of the desk with a huff. Looking over her spoils, Belle carefully stamped the card in the back of each book to indicate its safe arrival at the dated library.
Storybrooke's library was in a word: sad. There lay only three rows of books and most of them were encyclopedias or binders with copies of "The Daily Mirror", but lately, there was a silver lining. Slowly, the sections towards the front of the undersized building had begun to fill up, dedicated strictly to novels. Shelves now held everything from the newest trend, something called a "vampire romance"-which Rebecca didn't understand in the least- to Jane Austen's classics. The sudden influx of books to the library came from an anonymous donor whose influence and wealth within the town encouraged a literary revival. The once dusty building now held several patrons looking over their acquisitions at the randomized tables around the room, a harsh florescent light shining above them.
"There's still so much to do!" Anna prattled as she began to unload boxes behind Belle, tape screeching in the normally quiet room. "Please return the returns..." She paused in her unloading, her arms filled with children's picture books. "Why, that was a bit ironic, now wasn't it dear?"
Belle smiled kindly at the elderly woman before heading towards the shelves to replace the hardbacks. As she set about her task, she hesitated when her hands fell on one of her favorites of this world, Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". Belle had read through her copy, the paperback one that she had found sitting on her dresser of her new home before she had begun working during the days.
She had entered her room to retire for the night, when she stumbled across it sitting precariously on the stand, a note written in the cover, "Belle, something you might enjoy to pass the time." She had smiled at his thinking of her and had nearly exited her room to go thank him down the hall, but then remembered propriety and decided her thanks could wait until the morning. Goodness knows there was already enough suspicion and gossip around the town when it came to the two of them, and she wasn't about to do anything to encourage it. At least not until there was a ring of her finger, regardless of whether or not it was considered "old fashioned" in this new world.
Belle was brought back to the library by the opening of the door, which caused a little bell to ring, much like her love's store. Having put up the remaining books, she turned to see a beautiful blonde walk in her arms full with two bags and a couple drinks.
"Hey, Becca!" Emma called smiling towards the brunette who grimaced at the nickname, but quickly returned the smile.
"Hi, Emma, what are you doing here?" She took the drinks that were balanced unsteadily in the crook of her arm and pulled her towards the back room, where more boxes lay along with Anna who was currently digging underneath a table for something.
"Anna, do you mind if I take lunch? I put the books back," Belle tapped the older woman on the shoulder getting her attention from muttering something under her breath to the two women standing behind her.
"Oh yes! Of course dear, let me just head to the front and cover the desk," Anna whipped her hands on the front of her dress as she crawled out and headed to the desk.
"I bet she's fun to work with," Emma said setting the bags down on the small table Anna had been under, her eyes dancing with mischief.
"Be nice- she is actually quite enjoyable company," Belle retorted shaking her head and looking for two chairs to sit in.
"Yeah… you just enjoy older company," Emma smirked as Belle's face went scarlet at the insinuation. She refused to meet her gaze, directing her attention toward what she had brought for lunch instead.
Belle looked cautiously into the dark bag, the bottom of it a darker color from the grease that had soaked through. Carefully she pulled out a wad of paper, unfolding it to find a small tray of yellow spears.
"What is this?" Belle asked uncertain of her now acquired lunch. She looked up to see Emma's face in shock. "What? What's wrong?"
"Does he keep you locked in a cave?" Emma asked reaching back into the bag to pull out a couple burgers and ketchup.
A dark look crossed Belle's face as her mind wandered to her time being held captive, immediately ready to guard her love's honor.
"No. He got me out of one," she said in a clipped tone, the spears forgotten on the table. Belle looked steadily at Emma who quickly realized her tactless choice of words.
"Oh, wait, no! Ugh, I'm so sorry! That's totally not what I meant, it's just that you had to have had French fries before," Emma handed Belle one of the sandwiches before adding ketchup to her own. "I mean, it's kind of a staple to have as a kid. How old are you, anyways?"
Belle begrudgingly took her burger, still not happy with the way that Emma viewed Reymis with such public distaste. She brought it to her lips and took a tentative bite before chewing thoughtfully. Her eyes widened at the flavor in her mouth, and she took a bigger bite truly enjoying it.
Emma watched in fascination as she inhaled her burger, her eyes closed as she sighed in satisfaction. She cleared her throat, gaining Belle's attention, a small blush forming on her cheek as she swallowed and answered, "Thirty-three." She took another bite as Emma gaped at her.
"That's impossible," she said, disregarding her own food. "You look so young, you can't possibly be five years older than me."
Belle laughed though her food before she finally dropped her sandwhich to turn her full attention to the blonde.
"Yes, well, I look much younger than I am, I suppose," her eyes crinkled as she smiled at her friend. The two girls continued their meals while talking back and forth about their days. As Belle began to gather the trash. Emma looked at her, a serious expression on her face.
"So, why him?"
Belle stopped her cleaning long enough to fix her with a confused expression. Emma shook her head, a slight smile on her face before trying her question again. "I mean the guy isn't known for his charity work, but when he found out about you… I honestly believe he would have given everything away to get you back. I'm just curious, why him? I mean, why do you love him?"
Belle crossed the short distance to the trash can, a small smile playing on her lips. "Who says I do," she asked quietly, meeting the sheriffs gaze evenly.
"You're living togeth-"
"That doesn't mean anything," Belle interrupted, frustration at the accusation growing in her. "He's a good man, Emma. Whether you want to view him as such or not, he really is a good person." Her gaze drifted past the sheriff, fixing on a spot on the wall, memories rushing back to her as she continued defending Gold.
The halls glowed from the steady stream of sunlight shining from the windows. Belle carried her feather duster gliding it down the banisters, not truly committed to her cleaning. She approached the window, looking out in thought, resting her chin in her hand. "He's lonely," she thought. "that's why he brought me here." Honestly, after the first night spend in the Dark Castle, her fear of him had diminished into almost nonexistence.
The rumors of the great Rumpelstiltskin, the man who traded in babes, were a far cry from the man she now knew. She had been suspicious of his act only hours after she had arrived, when he had opened the door of the dark dungeon and pulled her up, leading her to her actual room, giggling about his personal quip. Her doubts of his maliciousness were confirmed, however, when, one day, while cleaning she had come across one of his contracts that he had been working on, sitting at his desk.
Glancing behind her to make sure her master wasn't present, her eyes glanced over the terms and conditions, noting that it was for a woman, a poor woman, it seemed, who wanted riches more than the child that she had given birth to.
Horrified, Belle picked up the parchment, before noticing a second one underneath. This one seemed to be directed towards a childless duchess. A woman so distraught from her lack of a child,that she agreed to give up her station in order to conceive. "He's trading their positions," she thought looking between the contracts. "He doesn't actually gain anything from these deals, just gives people what they want." She looked around the vast castle, and smiled slightly as she thought back to the trade made to her father. "Well, doesn't usually gain anything from them." She quickly set the parchments down and continued with her cleaning, her smile still in place even when he returned from his week-long leave, demanding dinner that instant.
From that moment on, she knew he wasn't the monster everyone painted him to be, but rather a mediator- granted a well provided one- but one just the same. People demanded things from him, but when it came time to actually pay for their demands, they felt cheated and self-righteous. Rumpelstiltskin was by no means a handsome prince, but neither was he a cruel beast. Simply a brilliant business man.
She found herself smiling again as she gazed out the window, her thoughts circling around her employer. Belle reflected on the moments they'd spend together, the time he'd caught her in his arms from a rather nasty spill, the moments spent speaking to each other while he spun and she pretended to dust around him. And more and more recently, the times spent together in front of the fire, a book in her hand, and usually a contract and pen in his. How she wished that they were closer, that one night, instead of sitting far apart in their own worlds, that they could interact in a way that was more friendly. Perhaps, instead of the chair, she could sit near him on the rug and read to him. She would finish the last page of the chapter, intending to go to bed, and he would rise to bid her goodnight. They would notice that they were much closer than either intended, and then maybe, he could take her in his arms and-
Belle jumped at a loud crash followed by several expletives coming from Rum's lab. She looked down the hall noticing smoke beginning to flow from the door before she ran towards her master. Her master and nothing else, she reminded herself. Rushing into the room and throwing open the window, she turned around and used all of her will power not to laugh out at the infuriated look Rumpel was sending towards a broken beaker.
"I'll… umhm… I'll go get something to clean up this mess." Her resolve fell and she quickly exited the room, giggling her way down the hall. She knew, for some strange and unexplainable reason, the moment she had seen him with his defenses down, glaring at a broken piece of glass in indignation, that she had fallen… hard. It was with this thought that her laughter died, and she realized that she had to leave this castle… if it were the last thing she did.
"Well your idea of good and mine must be different, but that still doesn't answer my question," Emma said, snapping Belle out of her daze. "Why do you love him?"
Belle once again met Emma's gaze, a smile falling across her face as she answered, "Because of who he is, every part, good and bad, that's why I love him."